Effect of Antenatal Micronutrient Supplementation on Fetal Birth Weight

Objective: To assess the impact on birth weight and the risk of low birth weight of alternative combinations of micronutrients given to pregnant women. Materials and Method: This is a Prospective Case Control Study done on primigravida women attending the outpatient department of between October 2017 to April 2019.The effect of supplementation of routine iron-folic acid in control group and multiple micronutrients in study group on their respective fetal birth weight assessed during the study period.Results: Birth weight in the study group (2767.5gms)was 114.9gms higher than in control group (2652.5gms).Though an increase in the birth weight has been found with a multiple micronutrient supplement when compared with iron-folic acid, statistical analysis revealed no added benefit of micronutrient supplements compared with iron-folic acid supplementation.Conclusion: Multiple micronutrient supplementation has not been shown to be superior to the routine iron-folic acid supplementation.